Till Death Do Us Part
by Reku1495
Summary: NicoXOC Fanfic. Nico meets an amazing girl. To bad every other guy in camp thinks she's amazing, too. Will he be able to win her over? I'm sorry. Summaries aren't my thing... POST-PONED! CHECK MY PROFILE FOR DETAILS! SO SORRY!
1. The Guy

**Note- I do NOT own anyone here except for Shawn! And later the main girl. Plus Tiffany! But other than that No One! First story, so bear with me! Thx!**

Nico's POV~~

I woke up to the sounds of many voices chatting outside. Ug. Mornings. I hate them. A lot. I through my covers off and walked over to my dresser. It was one of the only pieces of furniture in my cabin. But, I liked it that way. Less clutter. I pulled out my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and slipped on a pair of sandals. As I changed, I glanced at the calendar. I sighed. I was 14 now. It had been some time since Percy had saved everyone from Kronos. And now, due the promise the gods made, the camp was overflowing with campers. Sometimes I think the camp was better off when the gods didn't claim all their kids. But, that's just me. Anti-social, as Annebeth says. I guess she's right. I'm not a people person.

I guess I should fill you in. Percy and Annebeth are still together, and are now counselors. Today was Saturday, which means all the newbies will be tested out in the new stadium. Once a month, usually on the last Saturday, the camp would gather there and watch the newbies fight it out. Of course, they had some training.

As I stepped outside, I was nearly tackled to the ground. "Oof!" I tumbled to the ground, ready to attack whoever had just tackled me.

"Hide me!" Percy said, cowering behind me. The 18-year-old had a look of pure horror on his face.

"How badly did you piss of Annebeth this time?" I asked, smirking.

"Pretty bad…" He said. Suddenly, we heard a terrifying yell.

"PERCY JACKSON!!! YOU HAD BETTER GET OVER HEAR RIGHT NOW!!!!" Percy looked at me, eyes pleading.

I sighed. "Fine. Go on in." I said, pointing at my door. Percy smiled, a wave of relief flooding his face. He thanked me and headed inside. I continued on my way to the pavilion, hoping to get some breakfast.

When I got there, there was a large crowd of newbie boys. They were all murmuring about something. I picked up bits and pieces of their conversation. Something about 'beautiful', 'amazing', and 'love at first sight'. I figured there was just some really cute new girl and proceeded to get my breakfast.

Percy's POV~

I hid in Nico's cabin, hoping Annebeth wouldn't find me. I didn't mean it! It was an accident! Who knew that she wearing a new designer dress? Or that orange soda stained? I just tripped! I said I was sorry, like, a million times! And she STILL chased me with that 'I'm going to murder you' look on her face.

Women.

Suddenly, I head the door open. Someone sighed. "Percy," She said. She found me! "I know you're in here! Just, come out, okay?" I sighed and crawled out from my hiding place. Turns out, Nico has a pretty high bed.

Annebeth laughed. I loved that sound. Her white dress had a big orange spot on it, which sorta matched her orange cardigan (and no! I know nothing about fashion! She told me what it was earlier!). Her hair was up in a ponytail, making her cloudy eyes stand out. "I'm not mad!" She said. "Well, maybe a little, but its okay! I was just mad at you for running away! Hello!" She said, pointing to her feet. "I'm wearing heels!" I glanced down. She was, in fact, wearing heels. Something she didn't do often.

"Sorry. For everything. I didn't mean to spill on the dress." I said, closing the gap between us in a single stride. "Forgive me?"

She giggled. "I don't know….You might have to convince me." She leaned in brushed her lips softly against mine.

I smiled. "Alright." I said, and we continued to 'convince' each other. Ah, young love….

Nico's POV~

I sat down at my table, and started to eat breakfast. I was kinda lonely, you know, being the Hades kid. But, I had gotten used to eating alone. By now, though, the chattering group of newbie boys was getting on my nerves. I glanced back over at them. There were some my age, but most were a year or two younger.

"Hey!" I called to one of them. He looked at me, confused, and pointed to himself, wondering if I was addressing him. I was. "Yeah, you. Come here for second."

He trotted over and I got a better look at him. He had mob of dark brown hair on his head, which framed his face kinda nice. His eyes were a dull green, and his skin was average. He looked like a normal teenage boy. I wondered what he thought when he found out he was anything but normal. "What are all of you gawking at over there?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

He smiled. "A new girl, I guess. I'm just over there because my only friend here is. But, that's her, there." He said, pointing at a girl sitting at the Aphrodite table. Go figure. She was tall, and twig thin, not a muscle on her. She had pale skin, with dark brown eyes. Her hair was a coppery red color that waved down to the top of her back. She _was_ pretty cute. But Annebeth had been cuter at that age. Not that I ever liked her, or anything! I swear. Anyway.

"Her name is Tiffany Gorden. She's a daughter of Aphrodite. Which explains her looks." The guy said. "Oh! I'm Shawn, by the way. Nice to meet you!" He held out his hand, which I ignored. I don't shake hands. Never have. Never will.

"I'm NIco." I said, trying to make up for the hand thing. "So, whose your parent?" I asked, rather bored, and not that hungry anymore.

"Hm? Oh. My father is Apollo." He said, averting his gaze to the ground. "You?"

"Hades." I said, taking a sip of milk.

"Really?" He said, rather surprised. "Cool. But lonely, I suppose." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go get ready for the big fight. I'll see you around, though, okay?" He left with I smile on his face, waving. I sighed. I guess it was time. I offered the rest of my food to my father, then headed for the stadium.

That's where I met her.


	2. The Girl

The stadium was packed with kids from all cabins. This was one of the only times the kids here mingled with other kids that weren't part of their cabin. I spotted Annabeth* and Percy. I walked over to their seats and sat on Percy's left. Annabeth was on his right, her hand in his. "I take it things worked out." I said. Percy smiled and blushed. "So, when do we start?" I asked, returning my attention to stadium ring. I usually didn't root for anyone at these things, but Shawn seemed nice enough, so I kinda hoped he'd win.

"It should start anytime now." Annabeth answered. She looked at the stadium seriously. "There's a new kid, though, that intrigues me." She said under her breath.

I nodded. "Who?" If Annabeth was intrigued with a person, they must be very inpressive.

"Well, she's tall, blonde, and more then likely smiling." She said, smiling slightly. The ring was empty still. When the gong rang, all the newbies would rush into the stadium to have at it with each other. Of course, there were rules. Rule one- Absolutely NO killing. Rule two- If you can't fight anymore, raise your personal white flag and walk out of the stadium. Once you go out, you're not allowed back in. And rule three- Respect each other. For example, if someone is retreating, DON'T attack them! Other than that, it's a free for all.

Soon enough, we heard a horn blow. That was the warning bell, telling the rest of us to shut up. After a few tense minutes, the gong rang. That's when all hell broke loose in the stadium ring.

Newbie after newbie flowed into the ring, screaming battle cries. Soon, they were hacking away at each other, and the whole audience was on their feet cheering. I looked around, searching for Shawn. Before I spotted him, someone shouted "Look at the girl over there! She's not wearing any armor(sp?)!" Everyone turned to the North corner of the stadium. Sure enough, a tall blonde girl was weilding a bronze staff was knocking down enemy after enemy. There wasn't a scratch on her, even without the armor! And her staff was just that. A staff. Nothing special about it, but it _looked_ special in her hands. She moved with grace and power, jumping in the air and twisting her body around like an acrocbat. Flipping, rolling, kicking, punching, she was doing it all.

"That's her." Her Annabeth shouted at me over the noise of the crowd. "Her name is Grace Shelton. She's a 14 year-old power house. She's taken 3 years of karate and 5 years of gymnastics. And get this. She's the daughter of two demi-gods."

I felt my eyes bulge. "Then, who are her parents?" Percy asked. "Her godly parents."

"Her mother was a daughter of Ares and her father was son of Athena." She said.

Then, it clicked. Why she was only using a simple staff. Why she wasn't wearing any armor. She didn't need it. She was the daughter of the childeren of two Gods of War. Ares, the God of War, and Athena, who was the Goddess of Wisdom, but I'm sure there is something in there that mentions battle. Suddenly, the audience gasped. I looked back at the ring. Only five people were left. Grace, Shawn, and 3 others. One I saw was a girl, and the other two were guys. Then, one of the boys charged at Grace. She didn't open her eyes as she deflected his attack, knocked his legs out from under him, and brought her staff down (hard) on his back.

The other boy, apparently the other's friend, charged at her next, along with the girl. I saw, what I thought was, a sigh from Grace. Before they reached her, she jumped up in the air (very high, I might add. Only a gymnist could do that). She flipped around a couple times before bringing her foot down hard on the guy's shoulder. He fell to the ground, looking like he wouldn't get up anytime soon. The girl looked at him in shock. I saw Grace's mouth move, so I guessed she was talking to the girl. The girl looked between her and her friend, then pulled out her white flag, dragging her friend behind her. Now, it was only Shawn and Grace.

The whole crowd was silent. Shawn turned towards her, lifting his sword, ready to fight. Grace spun her staff expertly. Then, they charged.

The next thing I knew, Shawn was at the business end of his own sword, which Grace wasted no time stealing from him. Her lips moved again, and it looked like she was reasoning with him to surrender. His sword was inched away from his throat. He sighed and nodded. He raised his hands, and slowly reached for his flag. The crowd cheered as he walked out of the stadium, making Grace the victor.

***- I was told I spelt Annabeth's name wrong in the first chapter. Thanks for the heads-up! And sorry it was a little short. I just wanted to end it there! Thanks for reading and reveiwing! Oh! And I know that real martial artist wouldn't fly through the air like that...I just thought it would look cool...Sorry.**


	3. The Problem

As the stadium cleared, we (Percy, Annabeth, and I) watched as the medical teams went down into the ring to tend to the wounded. Though most of the young warriors gave up when they got tired, some didn't get the chance, and a good portion of them got knocked out cold. Annabeth wanted to stay and wait for Grace to come out. As we waited, Annabeth told us about what had happened earlier.

**Annabeth's POV~~**

_FLASHBACK-_

_I had just arrived at camp, hoping to surprise Percy. I wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning, but, lucky me, I'd gotten here early! I smiled to myself, lost in my thoughts, when I bumped into someone._

"_Oof!" They said, hitting the ground. I hadn't budged. Years of fighting monsters who don't when to give up kinda rips away that cute, flirtatious move. You know. When the girl bumps into the guy, he smiles, and helps her, then she blushes. Yeah, I don't that anymore. And this girl would more than likely grow out of it. "Sorry…" She said, picking herself up. When she stood up, she was only a few inches shorter than me, and I was 5' 8"._

"_Quite alright!" I said, smiling at her. "Are you new here?" I asked._

_She nodded, looking at the ground. She was apparently shy. How cute! "Yeah, I just got her last night." She said._

"_Alright, well tell me who's kid you are, and I'll point you to your cabin." I offered._

_She looked down at the ground again. "Um…I don't know what cabin I'll be in yet…"She said quietly. I was shocked. The Gods promised they'd claim all their children! She can't be unclaimed! "You see, I've got 2 parents- or, I guess, grandparents- who are Gods. I'm not sure which cabin I should stay in." When she explained, I felt a little better, but then dread took over. The cabins would surely fight over her if she did well in today's match! But, she might not do to well, since she just arrived here yesterday night._

"_Well, we won't focus on that now. But, I'm curious, who ARE your par-" I corrected myself, "grandparents?" _

"_Ares and Athena." She said. Oh! A fellow Athena! No wonder I liked her! Now that I looked at her, Athena fit her. She was calm, collected, and sweet. But, I was intrigued to see how she'd act on the battle field. Would she be fast, furious, and merciless, like most Ares kids? I could only hope her Athena traits would take over and at least she would take mercy._

"_Say! Why don't we have some coffee, hm?" I suggested._

_She nodded. "But I have to be at the stadium by 10." She smiled. "I'll be competing this morning!" Her smile was so cute! Guys would be all over her at camp._

"_Well, then you're going to need the caffeine!"_

_Then, a little while later, Pecy spilt orange soda on my new dress...._

_END FALSHBACK-_

As Annabeth finished her tale of how they met, I heard footsteps behind us. It was Shawn.

"Hey Nico!" He said, waving. I waved back. "Did you see that? Second place isn't bad! Especially with that girl as your opponent!" He whistled. "She's tough, man! Watch out for her!"

"Who's your friend, Nico?" Percy asked.

"This is Shawn. Shawn this is-" He cut me off.

"Percy Jackson!" He said, his eyes lighting up. "And you must be Annabeth Chase! You helped to rebuild Olympus!" He shook both their hands. "Oh wow! This is so cool!" He looked like a kid on Christmas Day.

I sighed. "Dude, they're not all they're cracked up to be." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Next thing I know, I was sprawled out of the ground, with a massive headache.

"What was that!?" I heard Annabeth hiss. I gave a half-hearted laugh, and a mumbled "Nothing…" and left it at that._ I'm going to need ice later…,_ I thought. I stood up, rubbing my head. "There she is!" Annabeth cried, and ran past both Shawn and I. I turned around, just in time to see Annabeth hug a very embarrassed girl.

"Annabeth! Let go! I need to breath!" She said. Annabeth let go, but took her hand and dragged her to us.

"Guys, this," she waved her hand to the girl, "is Grace Shelton! Grace, this is Percy, Nico, and Shawn." She pointed to us as she said our names. And really wished she hadn't because I'm pretty sure both Shawn and I were blushing.

We couldn't help it. She was amazing! Annabeth was right! She was tall, maybe 5' 5", 5' 6". Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a braid that reached her mid-back, and she wore a simple, baggy, grey t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. Her staff was gone though, replaced by a back-pack and a pair of glasses. But you could still see her eyes. They were an amazingly sharp green.

"I was wondering where those went!" Annabeth said.

"Yeah. It's annoying to where these in battle, but I hate my contacts." She said. She smiled at us. She _smiled_! It was beautiful.

"Can I take your bag?" Shawn asked. Gag! I could almost see the little hearts in his eyes. At least I wasn't drooling….yet.

"Um, thanks, but no thanks. I've got some important stuff in here, and I'd like to keep it close to me." She said, smiling. Shawn seemed a little defeated, but not to be detoured, he quickly went to Grace's side as we left the stadium.

Everywhere we went, we received- well, Grace received- cheers, pats on the back, thumbs up, and- to my great annoyance- cat calls. Grace didn't seem to mind, or maybe she didn't know they were directed at her, because she kept looking around whenever she heard one.

Percy and Annabeth had to leave us as soon as we got to the Big House. I caught a glimpse of Rachel through the window. Ever since she became the Oracle, not many people saw her outside the Big House. After we said goodbye to those two, Shawn and I decided to give her a tour of the camp. It was pleasant enough, but Grace made no attempt to talk to us. And Shawn kept drooling all over her.

Once we'd finished the tour, it was supper time. And boy, was that an experience!

"Um…." Grace said, looking between the Ares table and the Athena table. And, apparently, news travels fast, because at both tables, there was one empty seat. And you could plainly see both tables glaring at each other. Luckily, Chiron came to our rescue.

"Over here, my dear!" Chiron said, waving Grace over. Not willing to leave her alone, Shawn and I followed. "You may sit with me until we get this cabin situation figured out." He said. I sighed. That'll be good. And even better since Mr. D. wasn't here right now. He'd just make her feel bad about not having one cabin, but two she could live in. "Now, please, enjoy!" He told her. Then, he turned to us. "Boys, would you please join Ms. Shelton tonight? I'm sure she'll be quite lonely alone, given I won't be here the whole dining time." Shawn immediately sat down beside her, while I opted for the front view. As I took my seat across from her, she looked up at me. "Thanks." She said softly, smiling.

I think I could get used to that smile….

**~OH! My THIRD chapter! I'm so happy! I've had so many good reviews on this story! Thanks so much for reading!**


	4. The Mad Grace

I woke up, feeling groggy and grumpy. Shoving my sheets aside, I rummaged through my drawers, grabbing pants, and shirt, and some clean socks and underwear. Quickly changing, I looked at the clock. 8:14am. I had sixteen minutes to get to the Big House. Last night at supper, Chiron decided that Grace would sleep there until she had a definite cabin. Shawn and I agreed to spend the day with her and help her get used to camp.

Once dressed, I ran towards the Big House. Not surprisingly, Shawn was already there. "Morning!" He said. He was waiting just outside the front door. I was about to ask why, but he cut me off. "Grace isn't up yet. I already checked." He said.

"So, what now?" I asked. I checked my watch. 8:23am. It hadn't taken me very long to get here. Only ten minutes. I sat on the steps, and watched as other kids played around. There was a group of Aphrodite kids who had set up a beauty salon at a picnic table and were currently giving out free make-overs, and another group of kids from different cabins playing a large game of tag. I couldn't help but smile. Not to long ago, this place was pretty morbid. You know, what with the whole war thing going on. It was nice to see everyone so happy. And, there hadn't been many attacks on camp lately.

"Good morning." I heard a voice say. I stood up and look behind me to see Chiron in his wheel chair. "Grace is up, if you want to see her now." He said. He chuckled to himself, and left. Shawn and I entered the House, and saw Grace standing in the living room, a cup of hot chocolate in her hand. And yes, I know it's hot chocolate because there is a chocolate stain above her mouth, much like a milk mustache. Though, we almost didn't recognize her with her hair down. It was full, and thick, and held a pretty wave down to her mid back. She wore a baggy pair of shorts and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. The shirt clung to her curves pretty well, showing her not small waist, but more medium sized. Hey. At least she ate!

"Hello!" She said in that sweet tone of hers. Shawn and I waved, neither of us knowing what to say. "So, what're we doing today?" She asked.

"Why don't we walk around?" I suggested. We still had some time before breakfast, and it was a nice day.

"Sure!" Grace said. She finished her drink and we all headed off. "When's breakfast?" She asked, as we were walking by the cabins.

"9 o'clock." I said.

"Good." Shawn said, sighing. "I'm starved!"

As we walked, some kid playing tag bumped into me. "Watch it." I said, none to politely.

"S-sorry..." He said.

"Hey! Nico!" I heard someone call. It was Conner Stoll, son of Hermes. Trailing behind him, his brother, Travis. They had both taken a liking to me. Well, to annoying me. "Why you and new friends play, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah! The girl's cute!" Travis piped in. Grace blushed, and looked at the ground.

"Come on Nico!" Shawn said. "Please? I love sports! And Grace," he said, turning to her, "you were awesome in the arena! You could totally dominate at tag!"

I sighed. "If we play will you be quiet?" I asked. His voice was starting to get slightly annoying....

"Yes!" He said.

So started our tag adventure. Turns out, Grace and I suck. And, Shawn rocks. He even took pity on the both of us and let us tag him once or twice. But, me and Grace seemed to always end up 'it' anyway. After an exhausting hour of tag (I don't know how we managed so long, since we hadn't eaten...) I finally convinced Shawn to stop. Grace didn't need conving.

"I need food." Is actually what she said. So, we all headed to the pavillion for breakfast. When we got there, though, it was already packed. We grabbed our food and tried to find a spot to sit.

"Oh! Does little miss 'I'm so cool cause I won in the stadium' not have a place to sit?" A voice said behind us. Tiffany Gordon in all her glory. "That was a cheap blow you used on me!" She hissed.

"Um..I'm sorry. I don't know you." Grace said, clearly confused.

"Don't give me that!" Tiffany yelled. She was starting to make a scene. "You think you're better than everyone else! Prancing around the camp like you own it!"

"I-I was just walking around with my friends!" Grace said. Then she took a deep breath and all signs of weakness seemed to fade away. Suddenly, her voice was stronger, and more serious. "Now, if you're going to pick a fight with me let me warn you. I won't go easy on you, and I play for keeps. I'm not interested in your petty quest for popularity, either. So," she said, looking staight at Tiffany, "leave me and my friends alone." And with that, Grace strod off, rather...gracefully. People cleared the way for her, and she eventually sat down at an empty table.

"Wow..." Breathed Shawn. "I think Grace really got pissed off." We both followed and sat with her, all of us eating our breakfasts silently.

**~I recently got some great advice and I'm trying to put into affect here. I wanted Grace to be a sweet, shy girl most of the time, but have an icey cold side, as well. Thanks for reading.**


	5. The Move

I was on such a high from the duel in the stadium! I never expected to come out on top! And meeting Annabeth that morning helped, too. She's such a sweet person. She was even nice enough to treat me to a hot chocolate (I'd politely turned down the coffee idea). Although, I could've sworn I'd heard her yelling a little while later…Oh well. I was probably imaging it. Anyway, after meeting her, I headed towards the stadium. Chiron had told me to go into the back, and that there should be a sort of locker room, where I should suit up and get ready for battle. He didn't like the idea of me competing since I'd just arrived, but I had convinced him. Unfortunately, I was the last to arrive, so there was no armor left in my size, only an extra large one. Now that I think about it, I probably could've used it to hide in…

And after winning, I got to meet Percy, Nico and Shawn. It was an honor to meet _the_ Percy Jackson and _the_ Annabeth Chase. Though, I have to say, I think I leaned more towards Shawn and Nico. I'd never really gotten along with other girls, since I didn't share their love of boys or make-up. When your mother is the daughter of Ares, boys and make-up don't often make the list of 'Daily Things To Talk About'. So, I normally hung with Greg. He was best friend throughout my public school life. He'd been crushed when I told him I wasn't coming back to school. I still miss him.

But, then I met _her_. She just brought my happiness to a halt, picked it up, and stepped on it with her foot. If there is one thing I don't like to be called, it's arrogant. I admit, maybe I went a tad far, and maybe I blew up a bit. But, in my defense, I was letting off some serious steam! Being the child of any demi-god parent is hard. Being the child of TWO is worse. My dad expected a lot from me academically, and my mother expected a lot from me physically. It's a lot of pressure! And having you life constantly being threatened doesn't help! But, I do regret making Shawn and Nico uncomfortable.

A few days later, and they still weren't saying much to me. I mean, we still went everywhere together (we don't when it was decided, be all seem to travel in a pack now…) and ate together, and sparred together. Well, they sparred. I just watched. They never challenged me, so I never challenged them.

But, one thing bothered me above everything else. They boys' behavior. And, no, I'm not talking about just Shawn and Nico. It seems everywhere I go, someone (usually male) comes up to me and starts flattering me, eventually asking me out. And, though I do love flattery, I began to get rather annoyed. I knew none of them personally. Sure I knew some names, such as James Cross, Austin Dae, Luke Warring, Joel Green, and Sasha Carlson. But I didn't_ know_ them. Every time, I would politely turn them down, and then glares of death from the other girls. What was I supposed to do? Go on a date with some I guy I didn't know? It seemed like the entire female population (save the sweet, sweet Annabeth) is out to get me! And the entire male population (save Nico, Percy, and Shawn) is trying to woo me.

It's not that I'm not touched by all of this, it's just, I've never been one for dating. I grew up thinking of guys as friends, not as someone I wanted to have an intimate relationship with. And, it's because of this I turn guys down, guys that other girl would kill for. And I realize, it makes me look like I'm too good for them. Which I'm not.

I awoke that morning to the awful robotic tones of my alarm clock singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Turning it off, I stepped out of bed, and walked over to my dresser, gathering my clothes for the day. Once dressed in my favorite jeans and my white blouse/sweater vest combo, I headed outside. There, promptly waiting for me, was, none other, then Percy.

"Morning!" He said. "Ready to move into your new cabin?" He said. My eyes widened. New cabin? I hadn't been told anything of this. Percy obviously saw my surprise. "Let me explain." He said. "Apparently, Ares and Athena had been arguing none stop about this, so, sick of hearing it, Hera compromised: You'll be living in _her_ cabin." I stood there like an idiot for a few seconds, trying to process it all at once. "Oh!" Percy said, snapping me back to reality. "You have gifts from Ares and Athena, too! Here you go!" He said, handing me two boxes. One, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, had a card with an owl on it. _Athena,_ I thought. The other, much larger box, had to be supported with both hands. It had no card, just a simple box.

"Um," I said, rather lamely, "I'm not packed yet…"

"No worries. Just be in your cabin by the end of the day!" He said. And with that, he bounded off towards the Hermes cabin. _He must be looking for the Stoll brothers,_ I thought. Those two we so much fun during the game of tag a few days ago. I walked back inside, and set both packages on the bed. Taking Athena's card, I opened it and read the beautiful hand writing twice, before I opened both boxes.

_Grace, I'm sorry Ares and I couldn't come up with an agreement sooner, but you will stay in Hera's cabin. Take good care of it. You are my only granddaughter, so make good impressions. _

_~Athena_

_Grace, you can blame Athena for making you not stay in the Ares cabin, where you belong. I'm being forced to write this, but don't me look bad! You're the first grand kid I've ever had, so don't screw it up and go dying or something._

_~Ares_

I had to admit, for the God of War, Ares had surprisingly good penmanship. I opened Athena's box first. Inside was a silver chain and bright green stone dangling from it. It shone in the morning sun so brilliantly, I had to look away. They green matched my eyes perfectly. Though, knowing Athena, the necklace probably wasn't just a necklace. But, I would find that out soon enough. Next, I opened Ares's gift. Inside, there was a tan cloth. Upon further inspection (actually taking it out of the box) it turned out to be a trench coat. The front buttoned down, and the collar had a bit of a punky flair to it, being as it was so large, I could probably cover my face in it. There were large pockets in front, too, along with one on the inside. Not bad, not bad at all. In fact, I rather liked it. I said I quiet thanks to the both of them, and then began to pack.


	6. The Catch

A few hours later, I was all moved into Hera's cabin. I giggled as I looked out the window, enjoying the looks of shock and confusion the other campers were giving me as I bustled around. I left the door open, since the room was quite stuffy.

I looked out the door, wondering who was starring now. A girl, about my age, was standing there, just looking at me. No, she was starring. She had beautiful black hair that hung loosely at her shoulders. "Um, hello." I said. She nodded, indicating she heard me. "Would you like to come in?" I offered. She nodded again and came into the cabin. "You can shut the door now, I think this place has aired out enough." I said. "I'm Grace." I held out my hand for her to shake.

"Amy." She said, shaking my hand. I smiled at her. Now that I looked, she was all grimy. She noticed me looking at her and smiled. "I'm a Daughter of Hephaestus. " She explained. Well, that explained the dirt. She wore a green shirt with three-quarter lengths sleeves, along with some denim boy shorts. She seemed sweet. "I came here a year ago." She said, looking around. "This is the first time I've been inside Hera's cabin. You sure are lucky."

"I think so." I said, sitting down on my bed. It was a double, not a bunk, since I was the only one here. There was a dresser, along with a full-length mirror and a comfy chair to read in. For light, I also had a floor lamp behind the chair, along with the ceiling light. I smiled. It was simple, and homey. I liked it.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you Grace." Amy said. She had a soft voice, and I could tell she was shy. "I have to go, though." She waved as she left, shutting the door with a final _click_. I sighed. Alone again. I decided to wander around until lunch, which was only an hour away. Which was good, because I was hungry! As I wondered around, I came to a large clearing. A group of campers were standing there. I recognized Tiffany and her groupies. But the other group, they looked sad, and scared. I walked over, hoping to hear what was going on. Suddenly, I was pulled backwards, my mouth covered with a hand.

"Sshhh!!" A voice said. It turned out to be Nico and Shawn. Shawn had grabbed me. "Tiffany's bagging on some of the other girls." Nico said. "We were passing by and decided to stay and watch."

I felt my jaw drop. "You didn't do anything!?" I exclaimed. They both recoiled, shaking their heads sheepishly. I sighed. "Well, I am." I said, leaving the bush. I walked over there, a purpose to my stride.

"And furthermore-" Tiffany stopped as she saw me. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. Little miss "I'm so cool because all the boys like me". Get lost!" She shouted. Her groupies gave me dirty looks, and nodded.

"Fine. Then tell me why all these other girls look sad." I said, standing between her and another group of girls, who looked very depressed.

Tiffany smiled a sweet smile. It was so fake, I almost laughed. "I was only pointing out their flaws so that they could improve themselves." She said, batting her eyelashes.

I smirked, and turned to the girl closest to me. "What's your name?" I asked her.

"K-Kate." She stammered.

"Well, Kate," I said, looking over at Tiffany, "how about we 'help' Tiff out, too, huh? Return the favor. She was nice enough to help you guys out, why don't we help her?" She perked up. "For instance," I said, stepping closer to Tiffany, "her hair is really dry. You should really take more care of it."

Tiffany's face turned red. "And your skin could use some moisturizer. And those clothes have to go. I may not be a fashion guru, but I do know that that is so not your color. And then there's your make-up: Can you say, 'To much'? And how about-"

"SHUT UP!" She yelled, red as a tomato. "Let me 'help' you! Your clothes SCREAM nerd, you have no friends, you're not pretty, you're arrogant, and you think you're better than everyone else!" She was panting by this time.

I sighed. "Not really. I know I'm not pretty, and I like looking like a nerd. I'm certainly NOT arrogant, though I am quite forgetful." I said a bit sheepishly. "I'm also a picky eater. But, at least I don't confuse fear with respect, like you do." I said, all seriousness back in my voice. "They aren't the same. I suggest you learn that." I turned to the girls behind me. "Why don't you guys go on and have some fun, okay? And it was nice meeting you, Kate." They smiled at me and ran off. "Well, goodbye." I said to Tiffany. I turned heel, and walked back over to Shawn and Nico, both of whom were still in the bush.

"That was amazing!" Shawn said, popping up quite suddenly. I stumbled backwards, shutting my eyes tight, waiting for the impact. It never came. I felt a pair of strong hand catch me by my waist. Opening my eyes, I came face-to-face with Shawn. I could feel my face heating up, and could see his was, too. "S-Sorry." He stammered. He still hadn't let go of me. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Um…." I said, looking down at his hands.

"Oh!" He jumped back, letting me go. "S-Sorry!" He looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"No, no. It's quite alright." I said, regaining my composure. "Thanks for the catch." I said.

"Sorry to interrupt." Nico said, an annoyed look on his face. "But we should get going to lunch now." He gave Shawn an irritated glance.

"Right." I said, taking my place between them. And with that, we all walked to lunch in an awkward silence.


End file.
